In brief

Sidhu is DIG (law and order)
The Punjab government has posted Harpreet Singh Sidhu as Deputy Inspector General Police,Law and Order and Operations,with immediate effect. The orders in this regard were issued by the Home Department on Thursday.

1.18 lakh children to be immunised against polio
MOHALI: As many as 1.18 lakh children between the age group of 0-5 years were identified for administering twin polio drops during the next leg of the national pulse polio campaign in Mohali district on January 10. Disclosing this at a special meeting to review the arrangements for the drive on Thursday,Civil Surgeon P K Sridhar said 416 stationary camps,21 mobile teams and 14 transit groups would immunise the targeted population against polio. A total of 100 supervisors would be put on duty to supervise the entire operation across the district,he said.Civil Surgeon revealed that the left-out children in the specified age group would be covered during the door-to-door campaign to be carried out on January 11 and 12.

196 donate blood at camp
MOHALI: As many as 196 persons donated blood at a camp organised by the Blood Donors’ Association in Balongi village near here on Thursday. The camp was held to help the victims of road accidents,which take place on a daily basis on the busy Mohali-Kharar stretch of National Highway-21,assumed the distinction of a “killer highway”. The organisers vowed to make these camps a regular feature in future.

Man accused of killing wife gets jail
KHARAR: A migrant labourer Ashok Kumar,in his early 30s,native of Madhya Pradesh and presently putting up in a hutment at a housing project construction site on Kharar-Banur Road in Kharar,was on Thursday remanded in 14-day judicial custody by a local court. Kumar was arrested for the brutal killing of his wife Parvati,in her mid-20s,after attacking her repeatedly on her head with bricks at their hutment on Tuesday night over mere suspicion of infidelity. Kharar City SHO Tarlochan Singh told Newsline that since nothing was required to be recovered from the accused,the police requested the court to send him to judicial custody. Meanwhile,the body of the deceased mother of three minor children was handed over to her father Maijla,who was also a migrant labourer presently working in Zirakpur and a native of Madhya Pradesh.

Residents protest against LPG shortage
Ambala: Upset over the non-availability of gas cylinders in agencies,consumers held demonstrations in front of Hindustan Gas Agency in Ambala City ,Swastik Gas Agency in Ambala Cantonment,Bharat Gas Agencies in Naraingarh and Brara. After the demonstration,the protestors laid blockade at the Naraingarh-Chandigarh National Highway,Naraingarh-Nahan Highway for over an hour. Due to shortage declared by LPG agencies in the district,consumers are not getting regular supply of gas cylinders. The consumers alleged barring a few agencies,cylinders were available in black market at inflated rates. Long queues of consumers could be seen in front of agencies and the people,after waiting for hours,are told there is shortage. Consumers from villages,Gian Chand,Jit Ram,Nirmala Devi and Simran Kaur complained they had not received the supply for the last two-three months,though they approached the agencies with empty cylinders.

SBI Chandigarh extends help to SOS Children’s Village
RAJPURA: In a gesture aimed at supporting the cause of education for needy children,the State Bank of India,Chandigarh,donated Rs 1.8 lakh to the corporate education sponsorship of 18 children at SOS Children’s Village,Rajpura,an initiative to provide care and education to orphan and homeless children. SOS Children’s Villages of India,a member of SOS-Kinderdorf International,operational in 132 countries,is a non-profit,non-government,voluntary organisation,committed to the care of children in need and aims at strengthening families and communities as a preventive measure in the fight against abandonment and social neglect. Ashok Gupta,chief general manager,SBI,presented a cheque of Rs.1.8 lakh to Rakesh Sinha,Village Director,Children’s Village Rajpura,in a function here on Thursday. Briefing the guests,the Village Director said Rajpura Children’s Village offers 14 family homes to 162 children,47 boys and 115 girls.
“Four new children were brought to the home during the year. We are happy to share that they have settled down well and have made good progress both physically and intellectually,’ he said. Impressed with the activities of SOS Children’s Village,Ashok Gupta promised to continue the support of SBI in future too.

One acquitted of rape,kidnapping
A lower court on Thursday acquitted a Hallomajra resident Dinesh of the charges of rape and abduction. The victim,a minor,had turned hostile in the case and failed to identify the accused. Police arrested Dinesh for rape and kidnapping of his minor neighbour in October 2008,on a complaint filed by the father of the victim. In his complaint,the father of the victim alleged that the accused,who was married,had taken away his daughter and later raped her.

British Library opens membership
British Library will be re-opening its membership on January 10 and 11. The library will remain open from 10 am to 6 pm. Manager Bipin Kumar said of a total 1,000 seats,200 family memberships,300 classic/DVD movie memberships and 500 individual/personal memberships were available. The membership will be strictly on first-come,first-served basis which is valid for a year.

UT employees burn Rodrigues’ effigy
Employees of the UT Administration and Municipal Corporation burnt the effigy of the UT Administrator against the alleged dictatorial attitude of the Administration and the non-implementation of their demands.
The demands include grant of a Central Pay Scale and conditions of services to the UT employees,regularisation of daily wages and work charged employees,filling out of vacant posts of all departments,regularisation of daily wage employees appointed after 1992 and repatriation of deputationists working against the promotion quota posts among other things.

New academic session starts at PGI
Dr V M Katoch,Director-General,Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR),New Delhi,inaugurated the new academic session at PGI here today.
While addressing students,Prof Katoch said,“Our expectations are that today’s students of PGI will become tomorrow’s leaders. They are the ones who are going to expand the health research agenda and strengthen the peripheral facilities with their panvision of the medical scene in the country”,he said.

Ward 18 residents say Babla being victimised
Members of some associations of Ward number 18,comprising Sectors 27,28 and 30,have issued a statement expressing concern over the “treatment being meted out to Congress councillor Devinder Singh Babla”. The members said Babla was being victimised and singled out by slapping false cases against him. Residents’ Welfare Association,Environment Awareness Welfare Association and Electricity Colony Welfare Association are a part of the petitioners.